1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to crop harvesters and, more specifically, to an expandable basket for a cotton harvester.
2. Related Art
Harvesters such as cotton pickers and strippers require a relatively large receptacle to receive a sufficient volume of harvested crop to avoid frequent dumps. Harvesting equipment has become more versatile, and some machines are capable of operating with different numbers of row units. A cotton basket may be sized correctly for one row unit configuration, but may be undersized for another configuration. When the basket is undersized and the operator tries to go one more round in the field before dumping, he often ends up with a full load at a location far removed from the dump site. The only alternative to a full load at an inconvenient location is unloading the basket before it is completely full. Such premature dumping wastes time and drastically reduces productivity.
On some older machines, baskets had hinged lids which could be lifted by the force of the cotton so that often the operator could make it to the end of the row. However, newer baskets are rigid on all sides and cannot expand when the basket is full.